Character Origination Prompts: Week 29

The Mood is Write

Mom-de-Plume
Original poster
DONATING MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. Multiple posts per week
Online Availability
It varies wildly.
Writing Levels
  1. Advanced
  2. Prestige
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Nonbinary
  3. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
I'm open to a wide range of genres. Obscenely wide. It's harder for me to list all I do like than all I don't like.

My favorite settings are fantasy combined with something else, multiverse, post-apoc, historical (mixed with something else), and futuristic. I'm not limited to those, but it's a good start.

My favorite genres include mystery, adventure, action, drama, tragedy (must be mixed with something else and kept balanced), romance (again must be mixed, and more.

I'm happy to include elements of slice-of-life and romance, but doing them on their own doesn't hold my interest indefinitely.
Character Origination Prompts​

Time to make a new character, but you're clueless? Just want to invite a new person to live in your head? Want to round out a character who's been untouched for a while?

This thread is for you and anyone else who feels like doing character work today.

Use as many or as few of the prompts as you like, and create!


How Do I Take Part?​
Each week, I will post three random prompts in line with the title theme: images, text, dialog, links to articles, or other neat things that seem like they could spark new life. I may also include bonus rounds! You can make whatever character you want, and they don't have to fit everything (or anything at all).

I'll provide an (optional) "basic" character sheet that you can use.


Click Here for the Optional Character Sheet
[b]Full Name:[/b]
(Including titles.)

[b]Nicknames:[/b]
(Including titles that aren't part of formal address.)

[b]Species:[/b]
(Could include a few notes on if they're variant or unusual.)

[b]Occupation:[/b]
(Don't be afraid to be descriptive!)

[b]Age:[/b]
(Actual and/or apparent.)

[b]Sexuality:[/b]
(Gender, physical sex, and preferences.)

[b]Eyes:[/b]
(Color, shape, position...)

[b]Hair:[/b]
(Color and style.)

[b]Features:[/b]
(Facial and skin descriptions. Eyes, nose, mouth, eyebrows, etc.)

[b]Height:[/b]

[b]Build:[/b]
(Bone structure, musculature, amount of fat, body shape—this is great for giving an idea of history and personality.)

[b]Outfit:[/b]
(What do they wear?)

[b]Body Mods:[/b]
(Scars, tattoos, piercings, prosthetics, and more.)

[b]Impression:[/b]
(What do people think when they encounter this character the first time?)

[b]Voice:[/b]
(Describe the tone, manner, volume, and more about how a character communicates: should include any nonverbal communication methods too!)

[b]Fears:[/b]
(Big or small, what frightens the character?)

[b]Motivation:[/b] (One of the two links below might be helpful.)
https://dragonwritingprompts.blogspot.com/2013/08/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-for-writers.html
http://www.fiction-writers-mentor.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs/

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[b]Virtues:[/b] (Definitions below, pick however many fit and describe how, if you are so inclined.)
Chastity ([i]Castitas[/i])
A habit of controlling inappropriate physical desires and impulses.
Temperence ([i]Temperantia[/i])
Attentiveness to one's needs, with restraint from wasteful excess.
Charity ([i]Caritas[/i])
Willingly giving of the self to ensure others' happiness and health.
Diligence ([i]Industria[/i])
The habit for performing work with perseverance, honesty, and care.
Patience ([i]Patientia[/i])
The ability to forgive and eagerness to seek paths toward harmony.
Kindness ([i]Humanitas[/i])
The sharing of one's skills and possessions for the sake of others.
Humility ([i]Humilitas[/i])
Prioritizing of other individuals and the community above oneself.

[b]Vices:[/b] (Definitions below, pick however many fit and describe how, if you are so inclined.)
Lust ([i]Luxuria[/i])
The lack of self-control over one's bodily desires and urges.
Gluttony ([i]Gula[/i])
Overindulgence and overconsumption to the point of waste or harm.
Greed ([i]Avaritia[/i])
A disproportionate valuing of material wealth and its acquisition.
Sloth ([i]Acedia[/i])
Habitual apathy or aversion to effort that results in detriment.
Wrath ([i]Ira[/i])
Uncontrolled urges that encourage one to harm to others and self.
Envy ([i]Invidia[/i])
Sad or resentful desire toward traits or possessions of another.
Pride ([i]Superbia[/i])
Obsession with one's own superiority to the detriment of others.

[b]Strengths:[/b]
(What they're good at.)

[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
(What they're not good at.)

[b]Quirks:[/b]
(Habits and other little things.)

[b]Racial Details:[/b]
(Optional details about the character's race.)

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[b]History:[/b]
(Write a brief backstory.)

[b]Hook/Summary:[/b]
(You can include something meant to catch interest here.)


Prompts:
  1. Mixed fantasy genre.
  2. Lives in a city.
  3. Does not play well with others.

Bonus Rounds:
  • Too young to be so jaded.
  • Always itchy.
 
51eb7995b4f753f36a13b4dd60fda56a.jpg


Full Name:
Miss Juniper Hart

Nicknames:
Miss Nipper

Species:
Non-Human; Magical

Occupation:
Witch, seer, semi-veterinarian, assistant surgeon, baker, and 'secretary' to the sheriff.

Age:
17

Sexuality:
Female, preference is to be left alone

Eyes:
Dark Blue

Hair:
Black, short, just touching her shoulders.

Features:
Defined jaw and plump, rose lips. Pale skin that is untouched by the unforgiving desert sun. A lone beauty mark above her lip, below her petite nose. She is too 'pretty' and untouched for the harsh environment and everyone knows it, even her.

Build:
Tall, thin, willowy. She looks frail, but her hands and arms are used to many labors that require strength. Her height is a little taller than the average for men in her town and she forces them to meet her eyes as an equal when they are speaking together.

Outfit:
Layered cotton skirts, patched riding boots, and a simple blouse all in the darker shades of color. She has no jewelry or fancy things to put on.

Body Mods:
Gaps of skin where scales can be seen underneath. The edges are hard and dry, like dead skin.

Impression:
When she first came into town as a tiny girl child, the women at the saloon dubbed her Nipper for her stubborn and disagreeable nature. Like a horse prone to nipping people as they pass by. Now, they are both fearful and thankful for Nipper being in their town for she is the reason the town still exists. She never smiles, even when she is obviously pleased, and her dark blue eyes, as dark as a daytime storm, look right through you. With just one look, she tersely asks what people want when they disrupt her routine.

Voice:
Blunt and to the point. She, like the West, harsh and unforgiving. She says what needs to be said and she holds no punches. She also is the first to tell someone they look good or complimenting them on their 'sensible' shoes for walking on packed dirt or sand. Her voice always sounds like she is dehydrated, even though what little of her skin can be seen says that she is not.

Fears:
  • Running out of water
  • Turning into a giant snake.
  • Being courted for marriage
  • Not seeing a catastrophe and all of them dying
  • Knowing she is the town's only magical defense
  • Indian Medicine People - She knows they see right through her

Motivation: (One of the two links below might be helpful.)
Water, knowledge, respect; in that order. One need and two wants, though Juniper would say knowledge was a driving need and respect would be given to her or she would see to it that you were more uncomfortable than you wanted to be.

~*~

Virtues:
Chastity (Castitas)
Does not have inappropriate physical desires and impulses.
Charity (Caritas)
Begrudgingly gives so that the townsfolk don't just up and take from her.
Diligence (Industria)
The habit for performing work with perseverance, honesty, and care.

Vices:
Gluttony (Gula)
Drinks a lot of water, bathes every day, even 'soaks' when she wants to.
Greed (Avaritia)
Wants all the water all the time, damn anyone else.
Pride (Superbia)
Obsession with one's own superiority to the detriment of others.

Strengths:
  • Can look at wounds for both animals and humans without flinching
  • By her own words death is 'just an odd smell'
  • Can smell things others cannot
  • Logic based brain despite magical ability

Weaknesses:
  • Water- She needs it more than anything
  • Fragile outer 'Human' skin. It gets dry and peels off to expose scales
  • Visions - They take her anytime they please
  • Hoarding water
  • Animal has to be calmed before she can get near
  • Skin always itches/Wants to be pulled off (Soaking helps)

Quirks:
  • Carries a water skin everywhere and fills it up from communal wells before her own
  • Always wears long sleeves and skirts, no matter the heat
  • Religious use of hand cream to keep skin from drying and cracking
  • Cuts her nails daily - They seem to grow back overnight
  • Spooks animals just walking by
  • Will start to scratch somewhere and visually forces herself to stop

Racial Details:
  • Can breath underwater
  • Sharp metal pierces human skin, but not scales
  • Gore makes her hungry
  • Can see in pitch dark, but sudden bright lights are blinding
  • Visions - Present and Future
  • Extended lifetime
  • Secondary form

~*~

History:

The daughter of a swamp serpent and the moon. Her mother, the serpent, hatched her from an egg in a nest made of frog and crocodile bodies. She lived with her mother until she was ten, old enough, according to her mother, to set off on her own. So she did, making her way East, away from the coast and towards never ending land, despite her body's requirements for water. She met many people on her yearlong travel, learning many things. Mostly from the Indians, or The People as they called themselves.

She enjoyed her time with them, though she always kept it short since their Medicine people always had an uncanny knack of figuring out her bloodline before she wanted them to and attempt to give her a raised status that she in no way wants. She took the name Juniper Hart when she arrived in the town she currently resides in, enjoying the white people's lack of understanding of this land much more than the way The People connect with it so completely. She doesn't necessarily hide from her new neighbors, but she doesn't necessarily say anything, either.

Instead, Miss Nipper learns as much as she can from anyone who will teach her and in doing so, helps those around her. Because she is a girl, the local Sheriff can't deputize her as a sheriff, so she acts as his secretary to help him solve questions that need answering. Her visions and other magical abilities mean she is a witch and a seer, but almost all the towns have one, it helps them survive. When the rich ranchers or townsfolk come to ask her questions, they know she's got two forms of payment. Water or skin salve for her hands, made up North with beeswax and imported for rich ladies... And Juniper.

Occasionally a stranger will come into town looking for Miss Juniper Hart, offering gold, jewels, or any number of things that fancy people fawn over. She sends them away without hearing a word from them until the townspeople, wanting what they have, sell him what Juniper would accept from them. She is living a quiet life and is thankful for the small town for taking her in and does what she can to make their lives bearable, as long as they are okay with her helping herself to their water rations.

Hook/Summary:

"I heard it." One woman hissed as they stood around the bakery that Juniper had opened when she was thirteen, baking the recipes she's learned from the Late Mrs. Hart who'd taken her in when she'd arrived. "One of them Skinwalkers. Wearing a coyote skin. Messing with my horses and chickens. Sounded bigger than a wolf."

The other ladies tittered on about the Indians encroaching on their lands again, just like twenty years ago when the town had first settled, but Juniper rolled her eyes and continued rolling the dough on the table. "Wasn't no Skinwalker." She grumbled, loud enough for the women to hear her. Juniper had seen these women do some things even their men wouldn't, but as soon as Indians or other magic folk came into the picture, they were just as helpless as a lamb. "It's dry season. Coyotes're hungry enough without adding in magic." Pulling out a rolling pin, she set to work flattening the dough until it was as thin as she could get it.

"You sure, Miss Nipper?" One of the youngest asked, just married and frightful of everything. Juniper wondered how a man could traumatize a girl so bad on their wedding night.

"Yeah, I would of felt it if it'd been." She soothed her voice as rough as usual. Pausing in her baking, Juniper grabbed her skin of water and took a big long drink. "Now get and talk to the sheriff. He'll round up a party to look for a den." Juniper wasn't stupid, she knew the ladies had only bugged her so early in the morning so they could hear first hand if they were in danger or not. She didn't tell them of the vision dream she'd had, though. It was for the Sheriff, first. Dead Humans always were.

 
Full Name:
Zane Chance

Nicknames:
Lucky, Fido, Wolfbane..many others

Species:
Human Werewolf

Occupation:
Hunter, specifically hunts those that feed on humans for example, vampires, wights, zombies, white walkers and others

Age:
20 forever

Sexuality:
Male, would like a female partner but has never met another like himself and believes that would be necessary for things to actually fit right.

Eyes:
Black with red circling the outer edge of the iris

Hair:
Black, thick and coarse covering almost every inch of his body.

Features:
His face is still mostly human in appearance, though his nose is discernibly elongated but not to the extent of a canine. His teeth have pronounced fangs and are sharper than the normal human. His fingers are still usable as a human hand, but with long claws that retract and thick padding that enables him to run on all fours if he requires additional speed. He also has large elongated ears that are very canine in appearance.

Height:
6'7"

Build:
Thickly muscled though they are hidden beneath that thick coarse fur that covers his body everywhere except for the center of his face and his lower abdomen where it fades to almost white and becomes softer. He stands erect as a human but can alter his knee joints to run as a canine would at will.

Outfit:
Almost exclusively black demin and t-shirt wihtout embellishment or lettering. Black hiking boots that are rarely laced or tied and sometimes a black hat.

Body Mods:
He has one piercing to his right ear, that is the mark of his profession. All of his kind must be tagged in some way and identified. It is also a tracking device, but he is not aware of that fact.

Impression:
Depending who you are there are generally two reactions to meeting Zane. If you are one he is hunting, your initial reaction would be terror and the urge to flee. If you are not one he would hunt then the usual reaction is to his size and hairiness. He takes such comments in good humor unless they come from one he hunts, then they only infuriate him and cause a much more painful death.

Voice:
Deep resonating bass voice with a rumble to his tone. He can and does growl warnings to both the hunted and none hunted if they are crossing a line. His normal speaking voice is commanding and a bit louder than an average person might speak.

Fears:
He hates mice and rats.
Also fears he'll never find a partner, but he never speaks this aloud.

Motivation:
Basic hunting instincts, and being what he is there was really no other choice if he wanted to live a free life.

~*~

Virtues: (Definitions below, pick however many fit and describe how, if you are so inclined.)

Charity (Caritas)
He has been known to give of himself for a worthy cause
Diligence (Industria)
Once he's got the scent of his hunted he will follow relentlessly
Kindness (Humanitas)
He's been known to be kind to those who are weak, especially in the face of a powerful foe.


Vices: (Definitions below, pick however many fit and describe how, if you are so inclined.)
Lust (Luxuria)
He does get lusty but fears hurting human women. So he settles for bloodlust.
Pride (Superbia)
He can be an arrogant SOB at times


Strengths:
Speed, heightened sense of smell and hearing, heals quickly, can go for days without sleep, keen mind

Weaknesses:
After extended days without sleep he will sleep for an entire day, impatient and impulsive at times

Quirks:
His fur is constantly itchy, to the point of annoyance and aggravation. He had a ball that he squeezes in his right hand and tosses up in the air over and over. (His version of fetch without the running, but helps him not feel the urge to fetch anything that's thrown....something that happened a lot when he was a kid)

Racial Details:
He was not changed into a werewolf the normal way, but in a laboratory. This resulted in a hybrid affect that left him in his state of human and not no matter whether there was a full moon or not. There were five created with him, all males but two died shortly after being created. The remaining three are constantly monitored to be sure they do not deviate from their purpose or descend into feral form.

~*~

History:
He was arrested and placed into jail for armed robbery and murder and given two options, serve out his life sentence or submit himself to an experimental program and work for the justice system. Given his options, he chose the freedom of working for those he had always fled from to spending his life closed in a cell.

Had he known exactly what the experimental program was, he might have opted otherwise. He was delivered to a scientist and injected with a series of serums in increasingly large doses until he began to transform. At first it was subtle, with thicker hair growing in his beard area and his ears growing and becoming covered with hair. He's voiced concerns about these, but was assured it was natural and proper to the experiment. What were they doing? When the changes began to become more painful he was then told what was being done. They were turning him into a werewolf. He'd raged at them and bashed against his cell walls until he'd broken bones and flesh. To his surprise he would wake in the morning after such a night of savage self-abuse and be completely fine, with no signs of any damage having been done. This very much pleased his tormentors, but was to himself a source of deep aggravation.

After a year of injections he was fully changed and tagged. There had been many months when he was sure he would go insane, but he had been one of the lucky three to survive the 'treatments', at least they told him he was lucky. Sometimes he even believed it. Still, he was free now so he had to be glad of at least that fact. Usually he was.

Hook/Summary:
Today he was sent after another werewolf, not one like himself but a turned one who was especially savage when in wolf form. They didn't tell him it was a female, or that she was intoxicatingly beautiful in wolf form.
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